Old Campagnolo track hub

[Bob Shanteau]

I recently started breaking spokes in a front wheel that I rebuilt in about 1978. The spokes broke
at the nipple, apparently from corrosion (I live on the West Coast.)

The wheel has an old (mid 1960's?) Campagnolo front track high flange hub that came on a used Brooks
track bike I bought in 1972. The hub has a steel barrel and aluminum flanges.

After I took the wheel apart and inspected the hub, I noticed that each spoke hole is chamfered
(rounded or countersunk) on one side only (alternating sides, of course). I have built a lot of
wheels, and all the hubs with aluminum flanges that I have encountered have spoke holes that are
chamfered on both sides.

My question is: On which side does the spoke head go?

My first thought was that the head goes in the chamfered side, in order to provide a place for the
spoke head to sit in.

But on the other hand, it would make sense that the chamfer is intended to support the spoke elbow.

Which is it?

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

Bob-<< I noticed that each spoke hole is chamfered (rounded or countersunk) on one side only

These countersunk holes are for the spoke shaft, not the spoke head. For a better spoke line outta
the hub for the spoke. These were common until about 1989 or so with higher end Campagnolo and even
Maavic hubs.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[A Muzi]

"Bob Shanteau" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I recently started breaking spokes in a front wheel that I rebuilt in
about
> 1978. The spokes broke at the nipple, apparently from corrosion (I live on the West Coast.)
>
> The wheel has an old (mid 1960's?) Campagnolo front track high flange hub that came on a used
> Brooks track bike I bought in 1972. The hub has a
steel
> barrel and aluminum flanges.
>
> After I took the wheel apart and inspected the hub, I noticed that each spoke hole is chamfered
> (rounded or countersunk) on one side only (alternating sides, of course). I have built a lot of
> wheels, and all the hubs with aluminum flanges that I have encountered have spoke holes that
are
> chamfered on both sides.
>
> My question is: On which side does the spoke head go?
>
> My first thought was that the head goes in the chamfered side, in order to provide a place for the
> spoke head to sit in.
>
> But on the other hand, it would make sense that the chamfer is intended to support the
> spoke elbow.
>
> Which is it?

It is chamfered to support more of the spoke's curve. The head goes on the "plain" side.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Jim Adney]

On Thu, 15 May 2003 05:41:19 GMT "Bob Shanteau" <[email protected]> wrote:

>The wheel has an old (mid 1960's?) Campagnolo front track high flange hub that came on a used
>Brooks track bike I bought in 1972. The hub has a steel barrel and aluminum flanges.

I've never seen a Campy 3-piece hub. Are you sure this is actually a Campy item. If so, is it
just a lot older than the other parts I've seen. My experience goes back to the early 60s. How
old is this hub?

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney [email protected] Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

 

[Bob Shanteau]

"A Muzi" <[email protected]> wrote:

> It is chamfered to support more of the spoke's curve. The head goes on the "plain" side.

Thanks. The wheel is now built with the head on the plain side and the chamfer supporting the
spoke's curve.

 

[David L. Johnso]

On Fri, 16 May 2003 17:31:16 +0000, Jim Adney wrote:

> On Thu, 15 May 2003 05:41:19 GMT "Bob Shanteau" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>The wheel has an old (mid 1960's?) Campagnolo front track high flange hub that came on a used
>>Brooks track bike I bought in 1972. The hub has a steel barrel and aluminum flanges.
>
> I've never seen a Campy 3-piece hub. Are you sure this is actually a Campy item. If so, is it just
> a lot older than the other parts I've seen. My experience goes back to the early 60s. How old is
> this hub?

I was wondering that, too. I have a '65 (or maybe older) set of Campy track hubs, and they are
one-piece aluminum. I also have a quite old FB front hub that is three-piece with a steel barrel.

Can you (OP) post a picture of this hub?

--

David L. Johnson

__o | To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or _`\(,_ | that we are to
stand by the president right or wrong, is not (_)/ (_) | only unpatriotic and servile, but is
morally treasonable to the American public. --Theodore Roosevelt

 

[Tw406]

<< The hub has a steel
>barrel and aluminum flanges. >>

Late 50s early 60s.

 

[James Thomson]

"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Fri, 16 May 2003 17:31:16 +0000, Jim Adney wrote:

> > I've never seen a Campy 3-piece hub. Are you sure this is actually a Campy item. If so, is it
> > just a lot older than the other parts I've seen. My experience goes back to the early
> > 60s. How old is this hub?

> I was wondering that, too. I have a '65 (or maybe older) set of Campy track hubs, and they are
> one-piece aluminum.

They were produced during the 1950s, superseded in about 1958 by the first one-piece aluminium hubs.
My impression is that the small-flange model was more common than the large-flange.

A pair is about to close on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3607667532

James Thomson

 

[Bob Shanteau]

"Jim Adney" <[email protected]> wrote:

> >The wheel has an old (mid 1960's?) Campagnolo front track high flange hub that came on a used
> >Brooks track bike I bought in 1972. The hub has a steel barrel and aluminum flanges.
>
> I've never seen a Campy 3-piece hub. Are you sure this is actually a Campy item. If so, is it just
> a lot older than the other parts I've seen. My experience goes back to the early 60s. How old is
> this hub?

I don't know any more about the hub than I've already told you. The bike from was maybe 10-15 years
old in 1972, which would have made it new in about 1952-1957. (Andrew Muzi reports that Campy
started making one-piece aluminum shells in 1958.)

I replaced the axle, cones and locknuts when I bought a new Schwinn Paramount track frame in about
1978. The old axle was spaced for 95 mm (that was my measurement, but it could be 96 mm, according
to Sheldon's site), whereas the new frame was spaced at the current standard of 100 mm. The old
axle's diameter was also smaller than the 9 mm that the new frame expected. I still have the old
axle with the original axle nuts. I sold the Brooks frame at about the same time.

Unfortunately, the hub's steel barrel is rusted in several spots, due to the salt air here near
the ocean.

The front hub has 32 spokes and the rear 40, which I understand was common practice in Great Britain
at the time. I had no trouble with it before it started breaking spokes at the nipple, despite
throwing the bike around during sprints over the years. I built it cross 3 with what appear to be
15-16 gauge Stella spokes (no longer in business, as I understand). I weighed about 185 lbs in the
day and 210 lbs now.

For the new build, I used 14-15 gauge Wheelsmith spokes. The hub is apparently designed for smaller
spokes as I had to thread the new spokes through the holes.

 

[Chris Zacho "Th]

Bob Shanteau wrote:

"My question is: On which side does the spoke head go?

My first thought was that the head goes in the chamfered side, in order to provide a place for the
spoke head to sit in.

But on the other hand, it would make sense that the chamfer is intended to support the spoke elbow.

Which is it?"

Right the second time. The countersink is NOT for the spoke head to sit in, but to reduce stress
risers on the bend.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": http://www.geocities.com/czcorner